Happiness [1998]

This movie is seriously fucked up. It deals with a lot of subjects that are not talked about in the movies in such a blunt way. Pedophilia, strange sexual urges, alienation, midlife crises, and much more will be seen in Happiness. Cutting through all the layers, the human nature is left bare in its original form. This is sight is not that nice, but sometimes you just have to see some shit to get a better perspective. It’s like when I’m avoiding slow-paced flicks, the whole drama genre, where one person is dying slowly and would rather watch movies where a lot of people are dying in quick succession. This is because I’m trying to “balance out” my life and would rather be entertained at the end of the day instead of watching what inevitably awaits us all.

However, it would be all in vain, if it were not for those phenomenal actors, and among them Philip Seymour Hoffman and Dylan Baker stand out with their honest and breathtaking performances. This is not some fast paced movie, but a true drama with a funny twist and very casual style of directing and storytelling. Three sisters with different lives are in the center of the attention, along with their parents and husbands… Every story is fucked up in its own unique way and presented in an unbiased way. This lack of judgment or at least easily recognizable system of values or if I must be blunt Rosetta Stone will confuse some viewers. They will feel that the movie is lacking a point or it’s “too much”. If you feel that way that is okay, try to place this movie somewhere in your mind and eventually you will fully understand it. That is inevitable, the only variable is the time frame. Enjoy.